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What locks do vending machines use

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For many of us, vending machines were our savers at least once. At hospitals, airports, parking lots, or motel lobbies, they saved thousands of people from hunger, cheered them up a little but sometimes a little is a lot.

What do you look at when passing a vending machine? What is inside? Have you ever paid attention to a lock it is equipped with? Usually, these machines use tubular locks. However, they are widely used for public buildings, securing people’s items in gyms, for example.

Let’s take a look at the lock type that secures the many types of food products that are inside a vending machine, why it’s so great for this purpose, and its advantages and disadvantages.

Sure Lock & Key is ready to be your personal locksmith encyclopedia when it comes to any lock and key-related questions.

Tubular locks for vending machines

Most of the vending machines you have used or will use are equipped with tubular locks. So, why is it so? The main reason is that tubular locks perfectly meet the security requirements of vending machines. You may suggest that a pin tumbler lock would meet those needs as well, and you would be right. However, for people who own a couple of vending machines in different places, it might be pretty challenging to keep track of many keys. Just imagine, every time you want to open it, you need to try a dozen of keys before you get the right one and the situation will happen all over again near the next machine. That’s why locks that have a master system are more convenient because you can open all of your machines, whether we are talking about a few or about dozens of them, with one key.
high security vending machine locks
A tubular lock has its pins placed all around the cylinder plug. When you turn your key to open the door, its shapes match the pins, allowing them to release the lock.
high security vending machine locks

Flat keys for vending machines

However, not all vending machines use tubular keys. Some use flat keys that are pretty similar to your house keys with biting either on one side or both.
Each vending machine uses a key with a code stamped on its front or side, so you can determine the one you need among the whole keyset. Manufacturers take care of distributing keys randomly across the country, so it will be hard to find two vending machines with the same key code in one area.
Usually, when you buy a secondhand vending machine or one from the internet, the original key code might be lost. Additionally, it may happen that you lost the key yourself. In this case, you need a little prearrangement to start using your new investment. You need to replace the lock and a professional commercial locksmith will easily assist you with that.
fixing the vending machine
fixing the vending machine

Summing Up

Every vending machine owner expects it to be profitable. However, it may be impossible to check whether everything is safe and working well regularly, especially if a person owns a couple of machines in different places. A reliable lock may make your goal much easier to reach and you will be calmer about your property. We at Sure Lock & Key are always ready to assist you with any lock or key issues 24/7. In case you experience any with your vending machine locks, call us, it’s our job and we are very happy to serve you!

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